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Just got back from taking the test. A little bummed at the result but I have only been studying for a month, so encouraged at the progress made at the same time. But part of me wanted to just break 700 and be done with it at once! I guess that was too greedy of me :p
I would have debated whether to take the test again if it weren't for low IR score but it made sure that I have to take it again
The environment was quite distracting at the testing center as people were constantly in and out, and a lot of noises were present. I was a little distracted at times during the test. I will have to bring a pair of ear plugs next time. I forgot to buy one but didn't think it would be THAT noisy.
During 1 month of studying, I studied with Kaplan GMAT Premier 2017 and OG 2016.
First took diagnostic test at the beginning of Kaplan book (not CAT), and got estimated score of 540. Then I finished Kaplan book within 2 weeks.
End of 2nd week - Took Kaplan CAT1 - 660 (Q46, V 35, IR 5)
Started solving problems in OG.
Middle of 3rd week - Took GMAT Prep CAT1 - 680 (Q47, V36, IR 4)
Got done with PS section of OG and got through about half of DS section.
End of 3rd week - Took Kaplan CAT2 and CAT3 - 670 (Q44, V38, IR 5) and again 670 (Q47 V35 IR 6)
4th week, I only focused on studying topics I did not quite grasp, particularly probability, combination and permutation, and work rate problems.
Middle of 4th week - Took Kaplan CAT4 - 690 (Q46, V39, IR 7)
End of 4th week (2 days before test date) - Took GMAT Prep CAT2 - 690 (Q48 V37 IR 8, note that IR score is not accurate since I got same questions as the ones in CAT1)
Took a break on the day before the exam. On the test day, just looked up some formulas to make sure I remember everything and solved about 10 PS questions as a warm up.
And then finally got almost the exact same Q/V scores in the actual test. Kinda bummed about IR. I may have incorrectly read a few of the questions. I guessed on 1 question after spending 3 minutes and not being able to come up with an answer, but otherwise paced myself well. I really don't know what went wrong. I was hoping to get at least 6.
Anyway, any recommendations on how to improve my score? I am planning to study for another 2~3 weeks and then retake the test. I will probably need some help on SC. I will also need to improve my quant score, so I'm thinking about trying GMAT Club materials on that as many mentioned that they are very challenging. I feel like I hit the wall during my 3rd and 4th week as my score crept up painfully slow.
Any help on next strategy would be appreciated!
I would have debated whether to take the test again if it weren't for low IR score but it made sure that I have to take it again
The environment was quite distracting at the testing center as people were constantly in and out, and a lot of noises were present. I was a little distracted at times during the test. I will have to bring a pair of ear plugs next time. I forgot to buy one but didn't think it would be THAT noisy.
During 1 month of studying, I studied with Kaplan GMAT Premier 2017 and OG 2016.
First took diagnostic test at the beginning of Kaplan book (not CAT), and got estimated score of 540. Then I finished Kaplan book within 2 weeks.
End of 2nd week - Took Kaplan CAT1 - 660 (Q46, V 35, IR 5)
Started solving problems in OG.
Middle of 3rd week - Took GMAT Prep CAT1 - 680 (Q47, V36, IR 4)
Got done with PS section of OG and got through about half of DS section.
End of 3rd week - Took Kaplan CAT2 and CAT3 - 670 (Q44, V38, IR 5) and again 670 (Q47 V35 IR 6)
4th week, I only focused on studying topics I did not quite grasp, particularly probability, combination and permutation, and work rate problems.
Middle of 4th week - Took Kaplan CAT4 - 690 (Q46, V39, IR 7)
End of 4th week (2 days before test date) - Took GMAT Prep CAT2 - 690 (Q48 V37 IR 8, note that IR score is not accurate since I got same questions as the ones in CAT1)
Took a break on the day before the exam. On the test day, just looked up some formulas to make sure I remember everything and solved about 10 PS questions as a warm up.
And then finally got almost the exact same Q/V scores in the actual test. Kinda bummed about IR. I may have incorrectly read a few of the questions. I guessed on 1 question after spending 3 minutes and not being able to come up with an answer, but otherwise paced myself well. I really don't know what went wrong. I was hoping to get at least 6.
Anyway, any recommendations on how to improve my score? I am planning to study for another 2~3 weeks and then retake the test. I will probably need some help on SC. I will also need to improve my quant score, so I'm thinking about trying GMAT Club materials on that as many mentioned that they are very challenging. I feel like I hit the wall during my 3rd and 4th week as my score crept up painfully slow.
Any help on next strategy would be appreciated!
25 Sep 2016, 05:20
Kudos
Bookmarks
Already started with my next step of action - subscribed to GMAT Club tests (3 months, which is plenty for me as I need to be done with GMAT within 2 months at most), bought GMAT Prep EP1 & EP2 to use later for self evaluation, and started reading Manhattan GMAT SC guide.
I think there is just no quick, easy way... just have to solve problems after problems and have a better foundation of knowledge to be applied in the test in order to improve my score.
Planning for a retake in 2 weeks. Any advice would be appreciated!
I think there is just no quick, easy way... just have to solve problems after problems and have a better foundation of knowledge to be applied in the test in order to improve my score.
Planning for a retake in 2 weeks. Any advice would be appreciated!
25 Sep 2016, 08:20
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi Rookie84,
First of all, a 690 is a great start! Based on the score breakdown of your exam, you are weaker in verbal than quant. Thus, you may consider focusing the majority of your study efforts on verbal (perhaps a 3 to 1 ratio of verbal to quant.)
When studying for your retake, you must keep in mind that the GMAT such a challenging exam is that there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next. Have you been able to study in this way?
For example, when studying verbal, focus on learning one section at a time: reading comprehension, sentence correction, or critical reasoning. When learning about critical reasoning, you want to be able to learn about all aspects of critical reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc. Follow up your learning with focused critical reasoning practice, so you can determine your specific weaknesses within that topic. You should follow a similar routine for sentence correction and reading comprehension.
Also, to help improve your reading comprehension, I recommend reading publications such as the Economist, the New Yorker,Scientific American, or the Smithsonian so you can get used to reading and analyzing long, sophisticated passages that are well written.
To truly master sentence correction, you must develop mastery of grammar rules (parallelism, subject/verb agreement, etc.) and accepted English usage. In addition to your dedicated study, notice grammar and usage in your everyday life. Be aware of the things you habitually read, in terms of sentence structure, how phrases are worded, and whether pronouns are easy to understand. Make sure you use proper grammar in your everyday writing as well. Have you put parallel ideas into parallel constructions? Do all of your pronouns refer appropriately to their antecedents? The more you reinforce your study with related activity outside of your study, the greater the likelihood you will master the topics, and have fun doing so!
For quant, since you scored a 48 on your GMAT, you might consider following a similar but slightly altered approach that consists of more focused practice. For example, if you are reviewing number properties, be sure that you can practice 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. The results of that practice will help you determine your weak areas within that topic. Once you find and fix your weak areas, then move on to the next quant topic.
Also, I see that for your initial GMAT you studied a lot with the Official Guide. While the Official Guide is a great book because it has official questions from past GMATs, it has limited instruction and does not provide full exposure to all GMAT topics. Thus, for your retake, you may consider seeking out some robust prep materials that provide sufficient targeted practice for you to discover and fix your weak areas.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me directly.
First of all, a 690 is a great start! Based on the score breakdown of your exam, you are weaker in verbal than quant. Thus, you may consider focusing the majority of your study efforts on verbal (perhaps a 3 to 1 ratio of verbal to quant.)
When studying for your retake, you must keep in mind that the GMAT such a challenging exam is that there are relatively few questions asked in a given exam, yet those questions come from a huge topic pool. Thus, the best way to get a great GMAT score is to have a thorough understanding of all the topics that may be tested on the exam. To develop such mastery, you want to strive for linear and targeted learning and follow that with focused practice. In other words, you want to master one topic before you move to the next. Have you been able to study in this way?
For example, when studying verbal, focus on learning one section at a time: reading comprehension, sentence correction, or critical reasoning. When learning about critical reasoning, you want to be able to learn about all aspects of critical reasoning: strengthen and weaken the conclusion, resolve the paradox, find the conclusion, must be true, etc. Follow up your learning with focused critical reasoning practice, so you can determine your specific weaknesses within that topic. You should follow a similar routine for sentence correction and reading comprehension.
Also, to help improve your reading comprehension, I recommend reading publications such as the Economist, the New Yorker,Scientific American, or the Smithsonian so you can get used to reading and analyzing long, sophisticated passages that are well written.
To truly master sentence correction, you must develop mastery of grammar rules (parallelism, subject/verb agreement, etc.) and accepted English usage. In addition to your dedicated study, notice grammar and usage in your everyday life. Be aware of the things you habitually read, in terms of sentence structure, how phrases are worded, and whether pronouns are easy to understand. Make sure you use proper grammar in your everyday writing as well. Have you put parallel ideas into parallel constructions? Do all of your pronouns refer appropriately to their antecedents? The more you reinforce your study with related activity outside of your study, the greater the likelihood you will master the topics, and have fun doing so!
For quant, since you scored a 48 on your GMAT, you might consider following a similar but slightly altered approach that consists of more focused practice. For example, if you are reviewing number properties, be sure that you can practice 50 or more questions just from Number Properties: LCM, GCF, units digit patterns, divisibility, remainders, etc. The results of that practice will help you determine your weak areas within that topic. Once you find and fix your weak areas, then move on to the next quant topic.
Also, I see that for your initial GMAT you studied a lot with the Official Guide. While the Official Guide is a great book because it has official questions from past GMATs, it has limited instruction and does not provide full exposure to all GMAT topics. Thus, for your retake, you may consider seeking out some robust prep materials that provide sufficient targeted practice for you to discover and fix your weak areas.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me directly.
I will most definitely keep your advice in mind. 
